in Albania - Instituti i Shendetit Publik

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ALBANIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENTEvaluation of the immunization program throughMeasles, Tetanus and Hepatitis B vaccinationErida Nelaj 1 , Iria Preza 1 , Mirela Lika 2 , Silva Bino 11Department of Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Disease, Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania;2Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Tirana University, Tirana, Albania.Aim: Vaccines are the most cost-effective publichealth intervention. Albania has a very wellestablished immunization program nationwide.Vaccination coverage is very high for all antigensincluded in the national immunization schedule.Vaccination rates are frequently considered asurrogate measure of protection. Serum levels ofprotective antibody are a more objective measure.The aim of this study was to evaluate theImmunization Program with Measles, Tetanus andHepatitis B vaccinations in order to prove programefficacy, increase public confidence in immunizationsand advocate for sustainable immunizationprograms.Methods: There were three main components usedin the methodology of this study, such asimmunization coverage surveys, serologic surveysand surveillance for acute cases of Measles, Tetanusand Hepatitis B.Results: This study showed that vaccinationcoverage is really high, more than 95% and in thebasal vaccination doses it reaches more than 98%.Drop-out rates between doses and vaccines resultedless than 10% which indicates that children whostarted the vaccination schedule continued to receivethe following doses without interruption. Antibodieslevel for each antigen showed to be higher inimmunized children than in the unimmunized ones.Antibodies for viral antigens, such as Measles andHepatitis B, remain for the whole life, instead theones responsible for Tetanus protection decreaseover the years. Incidences of these vaccinepreventablediseases are really low and they arereduced every year in Albania.Conclusion: These findings indicate that vaccinationwith Measles, Tetanus and Hepatitis B are the mostfruitful strategies for the long-term control of suchdiseases in Albania.Keywords: Hepatitis B, immunization, Measles, Tetanus, vaccination.60 ALBANIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT
INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH CONFERENCE IN TIRANA, ALBANIAVaccination of hard-to-reach population in TiranadistrictIria Preza 1 , Erida Nelaj 1 , Silva Bino 11Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania.Aim: During the last decades, the migration withinthe country has become a common phenomenonin Albania. Tirana, the major district in Albania, hasthe highest percentage of new comers from otherregions of the countryand, consequently, the highestnumber of children aged 0-14 years. Identificationof these children, keeping track and continuation ofthe vaccination schedule, is considered one of thechallenges of the health sector, especially for thehealth workers dealing with vaccination in thisdistrict. The main aim of this study was to identify,register and vaccinate children belonging to thehard-to-reach population subgroup.Methods: Screening door-to-door and analysis ofall immunization activities related to hard-to-reachpopulation.Results: Through the door-to-door screeningprocess, it was possible to identify and check around589 children 0-14 years old, of whom 219 (37%)were not registered. From a close monitoring andsupervision of the screening process, it was foundthat 169 (76%) of these unregistered children didnot have a regular vaccination schedule.Conclusion: A well-planned strategy based onstandardized procedures of transferring thevaccination data, demographic and social conditionsas well as local needs is the key to the success. It isimportant to define the capacity of the vaccinationhealth workers, borders and the monitoring processthroughout the study. Door-to-door screeningcombined with follow-up and with interactivecommunication and collaboration between healthworkers and parents can help to identify, register andvaccinate more new children as well as keeping trackof the registered ones.Keywords: hard-to-reach population, Tirana, vaccination.ALBANIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT61
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